5.+Wiki+Design+prompts


 * 1. Why did you choose this lesson? Brief summary or original lesson plan design/goals of lesson. **

The original lesson plan was created for a Social Studies class and it was interactive and creative. We felt it left a lot of room for the integration of technology. The original lesson asked students to choose a historical figure, research them and create a presentation on that figure for a pageant. This lesson was based on four criteria for writing, art, geography and biographical research. The goal was for students to research a historical figure and apply their knowledge using multiple mediums.


 * 2. Define new lesson plan design/goals of lesson **

The new lesson plan requires students to use digital media to create a multifaceted presentation that includes pictures, videos, text, and sound. This presentation method allows students to engage with technology while still maintaining or increasing the level of creativity and interaction with their learning.


 * 3. Which tool or tools did you choose to incorporate into this lesson to potentially improve it? **

Alicia chose to use Museum Box and Amy chose to use Empressr, we both created sample presentations as if we were sixth grade students to be able to fully understand the capabilities of our tools.


 * 4. Why did you choose this tool(s)? **

Alicia chose Museum Box because it was user friendly, it's very interactive, it gives students a chance to express their creativity while interpreting historical information and she felt it was a perfect tool for students to be able to use for this project. There are also a wealth of boxes that have already been created that students can reference. Students can upload sound, videos, pictures, text, and links to create their own historical box.

Amy chose Empressr because it is a media presentation and storytelling tool that she felt students would be able to navigate through easily since it creates a presentation similar to a PowerPoint, but it has more functionality and allows students to incorporate text, videos, and pictures. This tool had all of the necessary components needed to complete this project and Amy felt students would be excited to have the opportunity to use Empressr to tell their historical figure's story.

5. What standards were you using to guide your decision on this? NETS?

We chose three standards for Teachers and three standards for Students. The teacher NETS were based on creativity and learning, digital age learning experiences, assessments and faciliation and communication of digital media and formats. The students NETS were based on creativity and innovation, being able to research and navigate through information and understanding the technology they are using.

6. Do you feel this will improve your teaching? If so, why. The intregration of technology in our future classrooms will give us the opportunities to collaborate and communicate with other teachers, parents and students. We will become faciliators that teach students responsible and effective methods for researching using the internet as a resource. Teaching them about various tools such as these presentation tools on this wiki will enhance their ability to learn the material in a creative and interactive way.

7. Do you feel this will help improve student learning? If so, how and why?

We feel that the integration of technology in this lesson in addition to our future classrooms is important because it allows students to use different mediums to explore and express their ideas.